Even with extensive planning, installation is a meticulous process. The amount of survey work required prior to setting each individual panel to make sure the structure itself is correct, combined with the non-conventional methods used to erect such complex pieces, “results in painstakingly slow installation,” Petty says.

In September, three crews worked in different areas to set as many panels as possible. Crews averaged five panels a day on the tower, which was completed in August. For the more complex atrium and plinth sections, where work is still ongoing, crews average only one or two panels a day.

With the tower exterior complete, “it's been drawing a lot of attention in Dallas,” says Emerson.

“When you step back and look at it, it looks like a concrete cube,” he adds. “But when the light hits it, it comes alive with different textures and patterns. All of a sudden, it's like the gray concrete is singing.”